Laura Crone

Ok I would like to update this take with the corollary that BOTM applying the Sprayed Edge Tax to THEIR PICKS so that the only way to choose that book is with the upcharge is VIOLENCE. I paid for my annual subscription! In what world does that not pay for any twelve of their selection of books?!

(also relevant regardless of the genders of the crusher/crushee! Gender/sexuality matters to how the social conditioning presents but "do *I* LIKE spending time with this person or am I just trying to get laid/not be single" is a game changing question for anyone to ask themself with regularity!)

It was meet and right to give [YouTuber] flak for calling nerd girls an "underutilized resource" but the underlying point of "bro why are you always talking yourself into crushing on girls you would not even enjoy hanging out with" was always a good one and it's wild that it's still this relevant.

(for the record, tailgated me so hard I couldn't see their headlights and laid on the horn hard af when I was going 40 in a 35 zone, and when they finally passed me WAY closer than necessary they had a rather graphic decal on their trunk that said "I EAT ASS." Congratulations I guess?)

Just had an encounter with a grade A asshole driver that had me yelling at my closed windows "I WOULD NOT LIKE TO MEET YOU!" and I don't think I could have come up with that outside the heat of the moment but I am now confident it's the most scathing insult I personally could give anyone.

I did not have that on my radar but this cover art is making me extremely nostalgic and excited!

Oh that's a great shout! Read it a few years ago and hadn't put it in the category yet but I think you're right that it is.

Anyway if you've got low/urban/parallel world/portal romantasy recs please send them my way! Doesn't need to be popular or generally associated with the genre, if you think it fits I'm interested in it. Already got The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches on my list but clearly would love more.

"F'lar, on bronze Mnementh's great neck, appeared first in the skies above the chief Hold of Fax, so-called Lord of the High Reaches."

Like even with the books I've enjoyed so far I am admittedly hamstrung by the fact that I am simply not a person who will ever have fun reading a sentence like this to open chapter 2 of a book that has defined none of these terms, I'm sorry!

Look I'm a low fantasy girlie, this is exceptionally heart wrenching storytelling but tbh mostly even I am shocked by how refreshing it is to be reading about a heroine who knows what ketchup is!!!

Heading: CHAPTER 1, surrounded by a pattern of dandelions, mushrooms, a bumblebee, and a spiderweb Text: In Faerie, there are no fish sticks, no ketchup, no television.

Been reading some duds for romantasy research but whoa I'm instantly sold on The Cruel Prince

Your Sister's Sister, Skill House, Jurassic World Rebirth, I'm Obsessed With You (But You've Got To Leave Me Alone)

#lastfourwatched

Anyway if your criticism of a thing boils down to "the existence of this story is a plot hole" please just stop reading/watching/playing and go find something else that doesn't make you feel that way!!! You don't need to do this to yourself!!!

(also yes this was spurred by a popular booktuber's recent video on the subject but has been simmering since basically every Riley Sager reading vlog I watched in the year 2023, I like said booktuber's work very much we just do different things, don't be a fucking narc please and thank you)

(in no small part bc I suspect those aren't actually the reasons people dislike it, they're just easier to latch onto than ones that require deeper analysis, and I think we all learn lots when we dig further into why this surface level stuff bothers us when it does and doesn't when it doesn't)

There's obviously a lot to dislike about this book but "people dislike this thing for THE WRONG REASONS" continues to be the single most activating fucking feeling in the world for me

This is one of the things Riley actually does pretty well imo, is setting up why she gets in the car even though she knows it's a questionable idea and why she keeps doubting her own judgement!!! If you're not open to getting on board with the literal premise of the book why are you reading it???

"You can tell this was written by a man because this woman doesn't instantly nope out of this interaction with a creepy man." IDK CONGRATS ON NEVER HAVING ABSORBED ANY OF THE CONDITIONING DIRECTED AT WOMEN THAT YOU'RE BEING A HEARTLESS BITCH IF YOU DON'T GIVE MEN INFINITE CHANCES, CAN'T RELATE!!!

"You can tell this was written by a man because a woman gets in a car with a strange man." BRUH THAT WAS AN EXTREMELY NORMAL-ASS THING FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS TO DO FOR A LONG TIME! DO YOU HAVE THE SAME COMPLAINT ABOUT WHEN HARRY MET SALLY? DO YOU?

This is so petty as a person who made a whole video essay about Riley Sager being a not very good writer but 95% of the criticism I hear of Survive the Night, specifically, grinds my gears like nothing else

Interesting that this is also super common in blockbuster fiction at the moment! "Heroine's parent says Sexy Dark Man is evil, and forced proximity to Sexy Dark Man helps Heroine to form her own worldview" is at the heart of several super popular enemies-to-lovers romantasies I've read recently.

I just got carded buying tonic water, what are we doing here

Food like this is never quite the same any more than like five minutes after it comes out of the fryer, but freezing it at least keeps it from getting soggy so it'll crisp up again nicely. Reheat in the oven at like 425 Fahrenheit.

TIP 2: If you have leftovers of deep-fried food (French fries, tempura, anything battered or breaded), store them in the freezer, not the fridge! I put them in a Ziploc bag and freeze in a single layer. Once it's solid you can treat the bag like any other frozen stuff you buy at the grocery store.

(This obviously doesn't apply to stuff like bean salad or crispy chickpeas where you don't want to add extra liquid. I also always drain my chickpeas purely because I save the aquafaba to make vegan mayo so I can't speak to how it behaves in a recipe.)

If you're not confident eyeballing the consistency, you can drain the liquid into a measuring cup and then top up with water to the amount called for. If the recipe calls for broth, you can get the best of both worlds by mixing Boullion or similar into the liquid mixture (taste for salt though!)

TIP 1: You don't need to drain your canned beans/tomatoes just because the recipe says to! If it's something saucy/stewy, especially if the recipe calls for water, use the liquid from the can! It's free flavor!

Apropos of nothing I am starting a thread of cooking hacks I learned working in a corporate kitchen that I use at home all the time. Been meaning to do this for a while and I'll add stuff as I think about it!

A minor (A, C, E), the relative minor of G major
A minor (A, C, E), the relative minor of C major

Oh, Hi! fucking DID something to me and you should definitely see it if you can!!!